Xing'an Mountains 1984: Starting from climbing mountains to support the family

Chapter 50 Water Rat
After the arrangements are completed, all we have to do now is wait for the water dog to take the bait.

I hope this water dog hasn't moved away.

As for the other wooden clip, Chen Weidong placed it in the place where Shui Gouzi often went to the bathroom.

To this end, he also specially collected the feces of the surrounding water dog fish with a strong fishy smell and put them on the clamp.

The feces of water dogs is a favorite food of many animals and is very good for use as bait.

A lot of feces was collected. Chen Weidong believed that some animals would take the bait. As for what he could get, it depended on luck.

As for the four traps, Chen Weidong had already placed them all in the bushes in the small valley on his way here to catch rabbits.

Where there is water, prey tend to be more active.

Then Chen Weidong simply led the black tiger upstream along the river bank.

At this time, Black Tiger's sense of smell had recovered a little. With Black Tiger around, Chen Weidong's chance of finding the target was always high.

After going two or three miles deep, he killed three greyhounds.

Seeing that it was getting dark, Chen Weidong planned to return home and check the traps and step-traps he had set. He was just about to call Heihu to go home when Heihu made a whimpering sound.

Chen Weidong knew that the black tiger had discovered another small animal, and looked in the direction the black tiger was looking.

This river has a large flow, but in this section, due to the erosion of rocks and siltation, it appears very flat. Not far to the right side of the river, near the foot of the mountain, a small water bubble with an area of ​​no more than 20 to 30 square meters has formed.

There were a lot of aquatic plants growing among the fertile silt and gravel, and on the side close to the mountain was a forest of hazel shrubs with densely intertwined branches. He looked for a while but didn't find anything unusual.

Now that you have a goal, how can you miss it? What if it is something good?
"Black Tiger!"

Chen Weidong once again issued an order to chase Hei Hu.

In this situation, if he goes first, it is very likely that he will alarm the small animals and make them escape first. It is better for Black Tiger to go first. This dog is smart, and Chen Weidong saw it when he was hunting rabbits.

Hearing Chen Weidong's instructions, Heihu immediately bypassed the small water bubble and crawled into the gap between the hazel bushes.

In the hazel woods?
Chen Weidong frowned slightly.

This kind of hazel bush forest is too dense and not suitable for black tigers to run and fight, so it is difficult for black tigers to catch prey.

Anyway, let's go out and see first. There's not much hope for Chen Weidong anymore.

Just as Chen Weidong had thought, the black tiger went into the bushes, but was blocked by branches and couldn't get in. It walked around and upwards for a while before finding a larger gap. It bent its waist and went to a clump of unknown small bushes about one meter away from the water bubble.

It barked at the bushes and stretched its feet into the bushes to pull.

Chen Weidong didn't see it scare out any small animals, but instead dug out a large bunch of dead grass, and then he started digging the soil vigorously.

Just as he was digging, the black tiger stopped and even stopped barking.

Chen Weidong was stunned. The black tiger didn't bark or move, which meant that even it had lost its target. It was a bit strange!
Taking out the slashing knife and cutting off some branches, Chen Weidong also went around to the black tiger and saw a hole deep down where the black tiger had been digging. He picked up the bunch of dry grass and took a look. After thinking for a while, he immediately knew what he had found - a water rat.
He suddenly became interested.

When it comes to mice, many people often hate them. These animals are really annoying. Not only do they steal food and crops grown by farmers, but they also bite furniture, clothes, etc. The key is that they are not worth a penny!
But in the Xing'an Mountains, there is another kind of mouse, known as the "water mouse".
It looks very similar to mice. In the past, there were many of them, and they were also a pest that caused headaches for farmers. However, this animal is not completely useless. Its fur is very valuable, and its secretions can also replace musk.

The scientific name of this water rat is muskrat, and in some places it is also called muskrat, blue-rooted marten, etc.

Its fur has rich undervelve, bright tips, and strong and tough skin. It is a good material for making high-end fur coats. In the fur market, it is known as soft gold.

During the breeding season, male water rats secrete a strong-smelling muskrat scent.
It has a similar composition to the musk produced by the forest musk deer. In later generations, it was used as a medicine instead of musk or to make high-end perfumes. However, it has not been recognized in these years and is mainly used for its fur.

Its fur can still be sold at a good price at the buying station.

The hole dug by the black tiger was the same hole through which the water rat emerged from the water.

Usually when the water goes down and the hole emerges from the water, it will block the hole with weeds.

In autumn and winter, a lot of weeds will be dragged to cover the entrance of the cave to prevent the arrival of winter and keep warm.

The black tiger is no longer digging or barking, which means the water rat is no longer in the hole. It must have taken shelter in the water through another exit.

Thinking of this, Chen Weidong immediately took out his slingshot, loaded the sling bag with mud balls, slowly stood up, and scanned the surface of the water and its surroundings.

This guy is a diving expert.

Although it looks like a mouse, it is slightly larger than a vole. It usually weighs more than one kilogram, and a large one can even weigh more than two kilograms.
It can be regarded as an oversized vole. And this animal has a characteristic, it likes to swim, and is also very good at diving. It can usually dive for three to five minutes, and can dive for more than seven minutes in dangerous situations. Therefore, it is called "water rat".

But this place is special. Water rats have nowhere to run. They just need to wait quietly.
So Chen Weidong waited for about six minutes, and suddenly noticed ripples on the edge of the bubble, and the body of the water rat poked out from the weeds in the shallow water.

Chen Weidong, who was well prepared, immediately drew the bow and shot out.

They were only a few meters apart, and for Chen Weidong, this distance couldn't be simpler.

After the loud snap, the water rat didn't even have a chance to react and could only struggle and twist slightly in the water.

As soon as the black tiger heard the slingshot sound, he immediately jumped into the water bubble and swam towards the water rat.

He walked out of the hazel forest and headed towards the water bubble opposite.

The black tiger quickly swam to the water rat, grabbed it in its mouth, jumped out of the water bubble a few times, and ran towards Chen Weidong happily. When it arrived in front of Chen Weidong, it spit out the water rat and put it on the ground.

Chen Weidong lifted the water rat up by its tail. Wow, it was plump and must weigh at least two kilograms.
It is considered to be a relatively large water rat, and it is a male water rat.

The black tiger simply brought it back without biting it, which made Chen Weidong feel a little relieved.

If there were a few more tooth holes, the fur, which was already small, would be greatly discounted.

Ask for some advice! ……

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(End of this chapter)